Shaft bearing hanger



A. W. GAIR SHAFT BEARING HANGER Filed June 2, 1951 Zhi/Eni U21-H Jlef WGa/fz'r Aug. l0, 1954 All v1 Patented Aug. 10, 1954 2,686,087 SHAFT BEARING HANGER Albert W. Gair, Fraser, Mich., assignor to Thompson Products, Inc., ration of Ohio Cleveland,

Ohio, a corpo- Application June 2, 1951, Serial N o. 229,579

8 Claims. l

This invention relates to an improved shaft bearing hanger and more particularly to an improved and simplified trunnion type hanger assembly for resiliently and rotatably mounting a propeller shaft on a vehicle.

The improved shaft mounting or hanger as semblies of the present invention are generally used on motor vehicles which require a propeller shaft made up of two or more sections. The hanger is utilized for supporting the propeller shaft from the vehicle frame at or adjacent the junction point of the shaft sections.

In supporting the vehicle propeller shaft from the frame a resilient mounting is desirable for reducing or eliminating vibration and noise, for providing a self-adjusting alignment between the shaft and the vehicle frame to eliminate uneven bearing load and for allowing a small amount of axial or fore-and-aft movement occurring when the vehicle engine moves on its rubber mounts.

According to this invention, a portion of a vehicle propeller shaft is xedly secured in the inner race of an anti-friction bearing with the outer face of the bearing secured in a 'bore of a shaft bearing hanger housing. Means are provided for introducing lubricant into the housing bore and sealing means are disposed at each end of the bore to prevent the egress of lubricant and the ingress of dirt and the like. Dirt shields are provided at each end of the housing bore outwardly of the seals. A pair of oppositely extending trunnion mounts or bosses are formed integrally on the housing and have aligned apertures or recesses formed therein receiving resiliently yieldable pre-loaded bushings in substantially conforming relation. The hanger is suspended in a flanged aperture formed in a cross frame member by means of a pair of cantilever brackets with the free ends received in the resilient bushings and with attachment portions xedly secured to the frame member.

A further object of the invention is toy provide a superior shaft bearing hanger including a pair of cantilever brackets with free end portions resiliently retained in opposite apertures in a hanger housing.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide resilient means for supporting a propeller shaft from a transverse frame member through an anti-friction bearing to substantially prevent the transfer of vibrations from the hanger to the frame and to allow limited foreand-aft movement of the shaft.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide a simplified shaft bearing hanger having a housing with a central bore therethrough and a pair of aligned transversely opposite apertures at right angles to the bore with resilient bushings therein for receiving the free ends of a pair of cantilever brackets to resiliently support the housing and including anti-friction bearing means in the bore for rotatably supporting a propeller shaft.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of one preferred embodiment, by way of example only, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a vehicle cross frame member with a shaft bearing hanger of the present invention secured thereto;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, with part of the frame member broken away, taken along line II-II of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line III- III of Figure l and illustrating the bearing arrangement for rotatably securing the hanger to a propeller shaft fragment shown in phantom.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure l is shown a shaft mounting assembly or a shaft bearing hanger lll resiliently secured to a vehicle cross frame member l l by means of a pair of cantilever attachment brackets i2, l2.

The hanger l0 comprises a housing is having a cylindrical central bore I5 therethrough (Fig. 3) and a pair of integral oppositely extending trunnion mounts or bosses IE. The bosses have formed therein cylindrical aligned recesses, the axes of which are at right angles to the bore l5. An anti-friction bearing i8, including an outer race I9, an inner race 20, and a plurality of ball bearings 2i, has its outer race secured within the bore l5 by means of a pair of snap rings 22, 22 received in annular grooves 21B, 2li formed adjacent the edges of the outer race.

The inner race is disposed over a portion of a rotatable vehicle propeller shaft and is secured thereon by means of a pair of retaining collars 26, 2B which abut opposite edges of the inner race 20 and are, in turn, clamped between the shoulder on the shaft and a nange and nut combination on the shaft (not shown).

A rotatable seal is provided at each end of the bore i5 by means of a pair of sealing rings 2l, 21. Each of the sealing rings 21, 2l includes an annular sheet metal backing portion 28 encasing all except the inner edge portion of an .annular resilient sealing member 29 formed of resilient sealing material such as rubber, felt, or the like. The backing portions 28 are nxedly secured in the end portions of the bore i5 as by being press fit therein, and the annular inner edge oi :the sealing portions 29 slidably engage the respective collars 26.

To assist in preventing the ingress oi dirt, or `the like, into the interior of the bore it and to deflect pebbles, stones, and other larger foreign particles, a pair of sheet metal annular protective dirt covers 3%, Si? are secured to the outer edges of the retaining collars 26 and have inwardly deiiected outer iianges 3i, 3i closely spaced from the edge of housing H about the bore i5.

According to the present invention, means are provided for resiliently connecting the hanger housing ifi to the cross frame member ii through the attachment brackets i2. Herein such means comprise a pair of resiliently yieldable bushings 32, 32, of rubber or the like, received in the housing recesses il in substantially conforming relation therein. Each oi the bushings 2 includes a cylindrical support chamber 3d and a short reduced diameter inner end hole donned by an annular abutment flange 35. A cylindrical free end stud portion Si of each of the brackets i2 is received in conforming relation in the support chamber 3d With the inner end of the stud abutting the annular flange 3%. When assembled in the recesses with the stud portions inserted therein, the bushings 32 are compressed or pre-loaded so that any pivoting of the housing is accommodated by shear or torsional twist in the bushings.

For fixedly securing the attachment bracket l2 to the cross frame member il outer attachment portions 38 of the brackets are secured to the frame member by pin means such as bolts 39 together with nuts 4D and lockwashers el.

In order to prevent direct Contact between hanger housing ill and the cross frame member Il, a hanged aperture i2, of the same general shape as the housing ill, is formed through the frame member and has a continuous reinforcing flange mi spaced from the housing.

In order to permit the introduction oi lubricant into the interior of the housing bore i5 for lubricating the anti-1friction bearing i8, a lubricant fitting lid is inserted through an aperture (not shown) in the side Wall of the bore and forms a lubricant passage thereinto.

From the preceding description it will be readily understood that the present invention provides an improved and simpliiied shaft bearing hanger including a central portion having a bore therethrough with an anti-friction bearing secured therein and a pair of transversely oppositely extending bosses With aligned apertures therein at right angles to the bore. Resilient bushings are disposed in the aligned apertures and receive the free end portions of the cantilever brackets which are aixed to the vcross frame member of a vehicle so that the hanger is resiliently supported with respect to the frame member. A vehicle propeller shaft is rotatably mounted through the inner race of the anti-friction bearing. The resulting assembly reduces or eliminates vibration and noise generated by the propeller shaft and provides for self-alignment of the shaft with respect to the vehicle frame to eliminate undesirable bearing loads. In addition, a small amount of ore-and-aft movement of the shalt is permitted to accommodate movement of the vehicle engine on its rubber mounts.

lt will be understood that modiiications and variations may be effected Without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

l. A hanger for resiliently and rotatably mounting a propeller shaft through an apertured cross frame member oi a vehicle, comprising a housing having a central bore therethrough and a pair oi integral oppositely extending bosses with aligned recesses therein at right angles to said bore, a pre-loaded resilientlyyieldable bushing in each of said recesses, a pair oi attachment brackets including iiattened attachment portions and cylindrical stud portions with the stud portions retained in said bushings, means 'fu-reilly securing said attachment portions to the cross frame member to resiliently suspend said housing in spaced relation to the defining edges o the trame member aperture, an anti-friction bearing including an inner race and an outer race, means retaining the outer race oi said bearing in said housing bore, and means for retaining the inner race of said bearing about said propeller shalt to rotatably support the shait in the ho' ing 2. ln a vehicle having a rotatable propeller shaft, a hanger for resiliently and rotatably securing the shaft from a cross frame member, comprising a housing having a central bore therethrough and a pair of oppositely extending bosses with aligned recesses therein at right angles to the bore, an annular resiliently yieldable bushing disposed in substantially conforming relation in each of said recesses and having a cylindrical support chamber with an annular abutment iiange defining a reduced diameter hole at the inner end thereof, a pair of attachment brackets having attachment portions xedly secured to the cross frame member and inwardly extending cylindrical portions in conforming relation in said bushing support chambers, the inner ends of said cylindrical portions abutting said bushing iianges, and a bearing in said housing bore and about the propeller shaft to rotatably support the shaft in the housing.

3. A hanger for resiiiently and rotatably mounting a propeller shaft through a cross frame member oi a vehicle, comprising a housing having a central bore therethrough and a pair oi integral oppositely extending bosses with aligned recesses therein at right angles to said bore, a resiliently yieldable bushing in each or" said recesses, a pair of attachment brackets including attachment portions and stud portions with the stud portions retained in said bushings, means fixedly securing said attachment portions to the cross frame member, and a bearing retained in said housing bore for rotatably supporting the shaft in said housing.

4. A hanger for resiliently and rotatably mounting a propeller shaft through an apertured cross frame member of a vehicle, comprising a housing having a central bore therethrough and oppositely extending bosses with recesses therein at right angles to said bore, a resilient bushing in each of said recesses, a plurality of attachment brackets having stud portions retained in said bushings, means xedly securing said brackets to the cross frame member `to resiliently suspend said housing in spaced relation to the defining edges of the frame member aperture, and a bearing retained in said housing bore and having a portion for receiving the propeller shaft to rotatably support the shaft in said housing.

5. In a vehicle having a rotatable propeller shaft, a hanger for resiliently and rotatably supporting the shaft from a frame member, comprising a housing having a bore therethrough and a plurality of recesses at right angles to the bore, a resilient bushing in each of said recesses, a plurality of cantilever elements having flattened portions xedly secured to the frame member and having cylindrical free end portions disposed in said bushings to resiliently support said housing on the frame member, and bearing means in said housing bore for rotatably supporting the propeller shaft extending therethrough.

6. In a vehicle having a rotatable propeller shaft, a hanger for resiliently and rotatably securing the shaft from a cross frame member, comprising a housing for freely receiving the shaft, bearing means for rotatably securing the `shaft in said housing, said housing having a pair of aligned recesses therein at right angles to the shaft, an annular resilient bushing disposed in substantially conforming relation in each of said apertures and having a cylindrical support chamber with an annular abutment flange defining a reduced diameter hole at the inner end thereof, and a pair of attachment brackets having attachment portions xedly secured to the cross frame member and inwardly extending cylindrical portions disposed within and in conforming relation to said bushing support chamber, the inner ends of said cylindrical portions abutting said bushing flanges.

7. In a vehicle having a rotatable propeller shaft passing through a cross frame member, a hanger for resiliently and rotatably supporting the shaft within the frame member, comprising a housing having a bore therethrough and a plurality of recesses at right angles to the bore, a resilient bushing in each of said recesses providing resiliency both axially and laterally of said recesses, a plurality of support elements secured to the frame member in the horizontal plane of the shaft and having portions disposed in said bushings to universally resiliently support said housing on the frame member, and bearing means for rotatably securing said propeller shaft in said housing bore.

8. A hanger for resiliently and rotatably supporting a shaft within a stationary member, cornprising a housing for the shaft, bearing means for rotatably mounting the shaft in said housing, a plurality of resilient bushings secured to said housing with their axes extending transversely of said shaft and passing therethrough, and a plurality of support elements adapted to be secured to the stationary member at points lying substantially in the horizontal plane of said shaft land having stud portions disposed in said bushings to resiliently support said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 6,464 Bancroft May 22, 1849 429,723 Hemenway June 10, 1890 1,093,822 Blum Apr. 21, 1914 2,450,279 Guy Sept. 28, 1948 

